Back then, although it was well below freezing, it still rained and sleeted – and then temperatures plunged more, going as low as -4 degrees at Reagan National and worse than that in the suburbs.

The result? D.C. was completely frozen over.

On the Potomac River back then, this Rockville family wasn’t ice skating on an outdoor rink – they were on a tennis court! In a way, ice skates were safer than walking in conditions like these.

Driving wasn’t such a great idea either, as ice led to terrible accidents like this one on I-95. The ice was still on the highway because solid plows couldn’t get through such frozen conditions. Salt was also futile, and though sand worked initially, it eventually froze over.

"I am declaring a state of emergency," said former D.C. Mayor Sharon Pratt Kelly back in 1994, who urged area residents not to go to work.

This year, some are still having to take the day off -- but not by choice.

"I lost a day's pay because I couldn't move the company truck," said one worker.